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Thankfully, the gaming industry has no shortage of games that let players simply wreak havoc like in the old days, making them perfect for playing while listening to heavy metal.

7 DOOM (2016)

The DOOM franchise has always been a gaming home for heavy metal fans.

The first DOOM game was released in 1993 and revolutionized first-person shooter gaming. The series received a handful of successful sequels and ports after that until the franchise hit a rut with DOOM 4. Long story short, the game was canceled and replaced with a reboot of the original game.

DOOM (2016) was well worth the wait, as it gave the series’ fans exactly what they wanted: over-the-top action with numerous enemy types to kill and a plethora of ridiculously powerful guns to kill them with.

6 Devil May Cry 5

Whereas DOOM was hugely influential in the first-person shooter genre, Devil May Cry 5 was instrumental in the rise of hack and slash games.

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Devil May Cry 5’s release came as a surprise to some, as the series was rebooted in 2013 with DmC: Devil May Cry. The game was a huge hit with fans and critics though, particularly for how it stayed true to the series’ roots despite its modern visuals and polish. Devil May Cry 5 earned an impressive Metascore of 89 on PC and PlayStation 5 and also won several awards, including Best Action Game at The Game Awards 2019 and Excellence in Gameplay at the SXSW 2020 Gaming Awards.

5 Brütal Legend

Brütal Legend is an obvious choice for this list, as the game is essentially one big gaming love letter to heavy metal music, and features the voices of iconic musicians like Ozzy Osbourne, Rob Halford, Lemmy, and Jack Black, who voices the main character.

The game itself doesn’t disappoint, as Double Fine Productions’ 2009 release offers an interesting mix of action-adventure and real-time strategy gameplay, which may sound like a hot mess on paper, but works extremely well in actuality and earned the game a solid 83 Metascore on PlayStation 3.

4 Twisted Metal (2012)

The Twisted Metal franchise began in 1995 and had five releases on the PlayStation 1, along with a few PlayStation 2 releases, including the highly-regarded Twisted Metal: Black.

After many rumors and fan requests, a new Twisted Metal game was announced for the PlayStation 3 and released in 2012. The game is a reboot of the original, and delighted fans with its enjoyable vehicular combat gameplay that is great to play with friends online and via local split-screen. Many people only play Twisted Metal with friends, which is a shame because the game is perfect for playing alone with heavy metal blaring in headphones.

3 God Of War 3

One of the many great hack and slash franchises that was inspired by the original Devil May Cry is God of War. The God of War franchise began in 2005 on the PlayStation 2 and created a fantastic gameplay formula that Santa Monica Studio reused with great success across numerous games. The studio shook up the series with completely re-worked gameplay and an emphasis on Norse mythology in God of War (2018).

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God of War 3 is known for being the series’ most epic release in terms of spectacle as it pits Kratos against some of the most powerful gods and Titans from Greek Mythology.

2 Left 4 Dead 2

Left 4 Dead 2 was released in November 2009 and is one of the many Valve releases that has a loyal crowd of fans who haven’t given up hope for a sequel.

Like Twisted Metal, Left 4 Dead 2 is a game that is best played with friends, as taking down hordes of fast-paced and hectic zombies is often a lot more fun - and a lot easier - with teammates. However, players who enjoy the first-person shooter shouldn’t write it off as a multiplayer-only experience, as Left 4 Dead 2 can be a ton of fun with a heavy metal playlist on to get the adrenaline pumping.

1 Bayonetta 2

Bayonetta 2 was developed by PlatinumGames and was originally released as a Wii U exclusive before, like many Wii U games, making its way to the far more successful Nintendo Switch a few years later. The hack and slash game was a huge hit with critics, exemplified by its whopping 92 Metascore on Nintendo Switch along with its multiple awards wins, including Best Action game from IGN.

The highly-anticipated Bayonetta 3 is supposedly releasing in 2022, though news about the game has been few and far between.

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